Typically, watercraft trailers are used to transport predetermined types of watercraft over a distance. However, in recent years, boat manufactures have introduced a plurality of new watercraft in order to attract new customers. These types of watercraft come in a variety of styles and sizes to satisfy the needs of those potential customers. With the increase in the number of styles and sizes of watercraft available, a corresponding need has arisen to provide a watercraft trailer which is more adaptable and which can accommodate many of the various styles and sizes of new watercraft.
Heretofore, most watercraft trailers which have been designed to accommodate various styles and sizes of watercraft have been unsatisfactory. Cumbersome and time consuming mechanisms are often used for repositioning elements of the watercraft trailer such as the bow stops and the bunk elements. In fact, in most watercraft trailers, the spacing between a pair of bunk elements on the watercraft trailer cannot be adjusted to accommodate the different bottoms associated with different types of watercraft, or if adjustable, only through a complicated and tedious process.
A trailer which overcomes most of the limitations in the art is disclosed in Priesgen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,559 which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, Triton Corporation, and is incorporated herein by reference. The watercraft trailer disclosed in the '559 patent accommodates a plurality of various sized watercraft thereon. The watercraft trailer includes a bow stop assembly slidably mounted to the frame structure of the trailer. Pairs of bunk elements are also mounted to the frame structure. Each bunk element of a pair of bunk elements is slidable in unison with the other bunk element of the pair to adapt the watercraft trailer to various styles and sizes of watercraft.
While functional for its intended purpose, the watercraft trailer disclosed in the '559 patent has limitations. By way of example, the position of the bunk elements may not be adjusted along the longitudinal axis of the trailer. As a result, the watercraft trailer in the '559 patent is limited for use in connection with watercraft of predetermined lengths. Further, the spacing between each bunk element of a pair of bunk elements cannot be adjusted. This, in turn, limits the watercraft trailer disclosed in the '559 patent to use in connection with watercraft having bottoms of predetermined styles and/or widths. As such, the trailer disclosed in the '559 patent is restricted to use in connection with the specific types of watercraft for which it was designed.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a watercraft trailer which accommodates various styles and sizes of watercraft.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a watercraft trailer which includes bunk elements which are easily repositionable to accommodate watercraft of different styles and sizes.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a watercraft trailer which is simple to utilize and inexpensive to manufacture.